Normal healing requires a balancing act between the removal of dead tissue and the construction of new tissue. This involves a precise interaction between numerous cell types, as well as growth factors, enzymes and cytokines for normal healing to proceed. The normal healing process should proceed as in the diagram below. Chronic wounds are due to an imbalance in the healing process. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) and their inhibitors, (tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs)) are key for this process to occur in the animals/mammals as well as the human.
In the normally healing wound, various MMPs are expressed throughout the healing process. In chronic wounds, MMP/TIMP imbalances decrease healing. Naturally occurring cations, such as potassium, rubidium, calcium, and zinc, have been shown to regulate protease imbalances, down-regulate the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which can damage other molecules and the cell structures of which they are a part, and stimulate re-epithelialization.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,947 issued to Hon describes a composition for providing therapeutic efficacy for wound healing containing potassium, rubidium, zinc and calcium ions, in combination with suitable inorganic salts. The Hon synthetic compositions contain by weight of inorganic solids, 10 to 80 parts potassium ions, but preferably 30 to 50 parts potassium ions. This type of product has been applied to open wounds in the skin such as cuts and abrasions in a liquid or spray form.